Get Started with "Forgiven"
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1. Go to signup.formed.org
2. For parish, enter zip code 94127, and then select Saint Brendan.
3. Register with your name and email address.
4. Check that email account for a link to begin using FORMED
Content is also available via Roku, Apple TV and more!
1. Go to signup.formed.org
2. For parish, enter zip code 94127, and then select Saint Brendan.
3. Register with your name and email address.
4. Check that email account for a link to begin using FORMED
Content is also available via Roku, Apple TV and more!
Reflections for Session 1: "Where are You"
What are we to do with guilt? Should it be ignored, or does it present an opportunity we don't want to miss? The truth is, God seeks us out when we sinned, not to scold or punish us, but before all else he is our loving , merciful Father.
Opening Reflection
Have you ever received a “wake-up call” that inspired you to make a change in your life? Maybe it was something significant like a health issue that forced you to make better choices. Or perhaps a comment from a friend convinced you to take a different course of action on something. When we go off course in life, God often sends us a wake-up call to draw us back.
How is He calling you?
Watch the Video
Click HERE to watch Session 1. (Don't forget to log into FORMED!)
Questions to Consider
1. “God doesn’t just want more from us, he wants more for us!”
What do you think God wants for you?
2. Adam and Eve’s first impulse after their sin is to hide themselves from God. They feel that same guilt we experience when we know we’ve done something wrong, and it causes us to be separated from him.
Do you ever feel a desire to hide yourself from God? Why or why not?
3. God doesn’t wait for us to come back to him after we have sinned—he comes looking for us. In his merciful love he searches for us to bring us home. He is calling to each one of us: “Where are you?”
What is your answer? What are some areas of your life that you need to surrender to God’s merciful love?
Closing Prayer
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your merciful love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless in your judgment….
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness; let the bones which you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit….
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth your praise.
Amen.
—Psalm 51:1–4, 7–12, 15
Opening Reflection
Have you ever received a “wake-up call” that inspired you to make a change in your life? Maybe it was something significant like a health issue that forced you to make better choices. Or perhaps a comment from a friend convinced you to take a different course of action on something. When we go off course in life, God often sends us a wake-up call to draw us back.
How is He calling you?
Watch the Video
Click HERE to watch Session 1. (Don't forget to log into FORMED!)
Questions to Consider
1. “God doesn’t just want more from us, he wants more for us!”
What do you think God wants for you?
2. Adam and Eve’s first impulse after their sin is to hide themselves from God. They feel that same guilt we experience when we know we’ve done something wrong, and it causes us to be separated from him.
Do you ever feel a desire to hide yourself from God? Why or why not?
3. God doesn’t wait for us to come back to him after we have sinned—he comes looking for us. In his merciful love he searches for us to bring us home. He is calling to each one of us: “Where are you?”
What is your answer? What are some areas of your life that you need to surrender to God’s merciful love?
Closing Prayer
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your merciful love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless in your judgment….
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness; let the bones which you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit….
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth your praise.
Amen.
—Psalm 51:1–4, 7–12, 15
Reflections for Session 2: "An Encounter with Mercy"
Jesus calls us to the sacrament of Reconciliation not only to forgive us and wash away our sins, but also to heal our wounds and the root causes of our sins. We are not defined by our mistakes; we are defined by the Father’s love for us!
Opening Reflection
God loves us right where we are, but he loves us too much to leave us in a place of sorrow and pain. He invites us to encounter his mercy and healing in a very real and tangible way in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Will we accept his invitation?
Watch the Video
Click HERE to watch Session 2. (Don't forget to log into FORMED!)
Questions to Consider
1. According to psychologists, an identity crisis occurs when someone is unsure of their role in life and feels as if they don’t really know themselves. In other words, someone experiencing an “identity crisis” is unable to provide an answer to the question “Who are you?”
What difference do you think Jesus makes to the formation of a strong identity? Does He make a difference in your identity?
2. The forgiveness we receive in Confession reconciles us with God, but it also means there is no longer anything for the accuser, Satan, to hold over us. And it also means that we no longer need to accuse ourselves for our sins. They are washed away, and we are free. God offers us his mercy so that we, in turn, can offer his mercy to a world desperately in need.
Where are we being called to extend God's mercy? Perhaps someone who has wronged us, or someone who needs an encouraging word or kindness from us. How, and with whom, are we going to share God's merciful gift?
Closing Prayer
Bless the Lord, O my soul;
and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the Pit,
who crowns you with mercy and compassion,
who satisfies you with good as long as you live
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in mercy.
For as high as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his mercy toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Amen.
—Psalm 103:1–5, 8, 11–12, 22
Opening Reflection
God loves us right where we are, but he loves us too much to leave us in a place of sorrow and pain. He invites us to encounter his mercy and healing in a very real and tangible way in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Will we accept his invitation?
Watch the Video
Click HERE to watch Session 2. (Don't forget to log into FORMED!)
Questions to Consider
1. According to psychologists, an identity crisis occurs when someone is unsure of their role in life and feels as if they don’t really know themselves. In other words, someone experiencing an “identity crisis” is unable to provide an answer to the question “Who are you?”
What difference do you think Jesus makes to the formation of a strong identity? Does He make a difference in your identity?
2. The forgiveness we receive in Confession reconciles us with God, but it also means there is no longer anything for the accuser, Satan, to hold over us. And it also means that we no longer need to accuse ourselves for our sins. They are washed away, and we are free. God offers us his mercy so that we, in turn, can offer his mercy to a world desperately in need.
Where are we being called to extend God's mercy? Perhaps someone who has wronged us, or someone who needs an encouraging word or kindness from us. How, and with whom, are we going to share God's merciful gift?
Closing Prayer
Bless the Lord, O my soul;
and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the Pit,
who crowns you with mercy and compassion,
who satisfies you with good as long as you live
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in mercy.
For as high as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his mercy toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Amen.
—Psalm 103:1–5, 8, 11–12, 22
Reflections for Session 3: "Embraced in Mercy: The Rite Explained"
God, in his wisdom and mercy, has given us a beautiful gift in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. His merciful love shapes every word and action of the Sacrament. Whether you go to Confession regularly, or you have not gone since your First Communion, that mercy is available in a very real way in the confessional through the ministry of the priest.
Opening Reflection
It’s not easy to admit when we’ve done something wrong— or failed to do something right. But when we learn to trust in God’s mercy, we don’t have to be afraid to face our sins. Whether we go to Confession regularly, or have not gone since our First Communion, preparing honestly and prayerfully helps us to be open to receiving the fullness of his grace.
How do I need to prepare to receive God’s mercy and grace ?
Watch the Video
Click HERE to watch Session .3 (Don't forget to log into FORMED!)
Questions to Consider
1. God’s will for our lives is to grow in self-awareness, self-possession, and self-donation. In other words, it is difficult to give ourselves away in love if we are not free to love. And, it is difficult to grow in the freedom necessary to love if we are not aware of what restrains us.
How does understanding the purpose of our lives emphasize the importance of a good examination of conscience?
2. God forgives our sin in order to clear the way for love. Grace increases in our souls similar to the way a fire increases in brightness and heat with the addition of more fuel.
Sanctifying grace is God’s very life; can we accept that His life within us will increase – even when he is already omnipresent and infinite?
2. St. Francis de Sales says, ““Go to your confessor; open your heart to him; display to him all the recesses of your soul; take the advice that he will give you with the utmost humility and simplicity. For God, who has an infinite love for obedience, frequently renders profitable the counsels we take from others, but especially from those who are the guides of our souls.”
How do you feel now about receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Is anything holding you back from receiving God’s mercy?
Closing Prayer
The Confiteor
I confess to almighty God,
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;
therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.
Amen.
—Roman Missal, 4
Opening Reflection
It’s not easy to admit when we’ve done something wrong— or failed to do something right. But when we learn to trust in God’s mercy, we don’t have to be afraid to face our sins. Whether we go to Confession regularly, or have not gone since our First Communion, preparing honestly and prayerfully helps us to be open to receiving the fullness of his grace.
How do I need to prepare to receive God’s mercy and grace ?
Watch the Video
Click HERE to watch Session .3 (Don't forget to log into FORMED!)
Questions to Consider
1. God’s will for our lives is to grow in self-awareness, self-possession, and self-donation. In other words, it is difficult to give ourselves away in love if we are not free to love. And, it is difficult to grow in the freedom necessary to love if we are not aware of what restrains us.
How does understanding the purpose of our lives emphasize the importance of a good examination of conscience?
2. God forgives our sin in order to clear the way for love. Grace increases in our souls similar to the way a fire increases in brightness and heat with the addition of more fuel.
Sanctifying grace is God’s very life; can we accept that His life within us will increase – even when he is already omnipresent and infinite?
2. St. Francis de Sales says, ““Go to your confessor; open your heart to him; display to him all the recesses of your soul; take the advice that he will give you with the utmost humility and simplicity. For God, who has an infinite love for obedience, frequently renders profitable the counsels we take from others, but especially from those who are the guides of our souls.”
How do you feel now about receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Is anything holding you back from receiving God’s mercy?
Closing Prayer
The Confiteor
I confess to almighty God,
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;
therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.
Amen.
—Roman Missal, 4
